Demographic and Housing Characteristics in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area

Jacqueline N. Tkac

10.05.2015

Introduction

This report provides a brief review of demographic characteristics and trends in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, and its constituent jurisdictions. Data are presented for the years 2009 and 2013, 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey. Map 1 shows the boundaries of the MSA, which borders West Virginia to the north. The MSA is comprised of Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski County, as well as the city of Radford. Blacksburg and Christiansburg are the two largest towns in the MSA and are included in this report.

Map 1. The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Virginia MSA

Population, Housing and Household Characteristics

Table 1 presents total population, households and persons per household for 2013 and the percent change from 2009 to 2013. As shown in the Table 1, Giles and Pulaski County both had a decrease in population between 2009 and 2013. Radford City was the only locality with a decrease in households during 2009-2013. Giles Co., Pulaski Co., and the Town of Blacksburg all had a decrease in persons per household between years 2009 and 2013.

2013Percent+Change+

200912013 2013Percent+Change+

200912013 2013

Percent+Change+20091

2013

B/C/R+MSA 227,528 4.4% 84,775 4.2% 2.7 0.2%Giles+Co. 17,111 10.5% 7,167 3.3% 2.4 13.6%Montgomery+Co. 94,910 6.5% 34,789 6.0% 2.7 0.5%Pulaski+Co. 34,768 10.4% 14,875 1.2% 2.3 11.6%Radford+City 16,705 4.0% 5,516 11.2% 3.0 5.3%Blacksburg 42,864+++++++++++++++ 3.0% 13,408 3.2% 3.2 10.2%Christiansburg 21,170+++++++++++++++ 11.1% 9,020 8.5% 2.3 2.4%Sources:+2009+and+2013+American+Community+51Year+Estimate

Persons+Per+HouseholdTable 1. Population, Households and Persons Per Household, 2013

Population Households

Figure 1. Shows the population in the town of Blacksburg in the year 2013, separated into categories by both gender and age.

10000# 8000# 6000# 4000# 2000# 0# 2000# 4000# 6000# 8000# 10000#

Under#5##

10#to#14##

20#to#24##

30#to#34##

40#to#44##

50#to#54##

60#to#64##

70#to#74##

80#to#84##

Figure 1. Blacksburg, Population Pyramid, 2013

Female#Male#

Table 2 provides the number of owner and renter occupied housing units for 2013 and the ownership rate for 2013 and 2009. Giles County and Pulaski County both had an increase in ownership rates between 2009 and 2013.

Owner RenterPercent*Own,*

2013Percent*Own,*

2009

B/C/R*MSA 47,519*************** 37,256*********** 20.9% 21.3%Giles*Co. 5,442**************** 1,725************ 31.8% 30.6%Montgomery*Co. 19,012*************** 15,777*********** 20.0% 20.6%Pulaski*Co. 10,816*************** 4,059************ 31.1% 30.0%Radford*City 2,546**************** 2,970************ 15.2% 16.5%Blacksburg 4,107**************** 9,301************ 9.6% 10.3%Christiansburg 5,596**************** 3,424************ 26.4% 28.0%Sources:*2009*and*2013*American*Community*5NYear*Estimate

Table 2. Owner and Renter Occupied Housing, 2013

Table 3 provides the percent of housing units that were vacant in 2009 and 2013. Christiansburg, Radford City, and Montgomery County all had an overall increase in their housing vacancy rates between 2009 and 2013.

2009 2013B/C/R*MSA 11.1% 11.1%Giles*Co. 15.0% 13.7%Montgomery*Co. 9.3% 9.9%Pulaski*Co. 14.5% 13.5%Radford*City 13.0% 14.5%Blacksburg 11.5% 10.2%Christiansburg 6.7% 8.4%Sources:*2009*and*2013*American*Community*5KYear*Estimate

Table 3. Housing Vacancy Rates, 2009 and 2013

Household type describes whether a housing unit is occupied by a family (two or more people who are related by blood or marriage) or a non-family (persons living alone or two or more unrelated individuals living together in a housing unit). Table 4 shows Pulaski County having the highest percentage of Husband-Wife Family housing in the MSA, on the other hand Pulaski County is also the locality with the highest percentage of people living alone.

Husband(WifeSpouse0Not0Present Live0Alone

Live0with0Others

B/C/R0MSA 43.0% 12.3% 64.4% 35.6%Giles0Co. 50.0% 17.3% 87.5% 12.5%Montgomery0Co. 44.5% 10.6% 61.0% 39.0%Pulaski0Co. 50.8% 17.4% 87.8% 12.2%Radford0City 30.7% 12.9% 62.4% 37.6%Blacksburg 29.8% 5.8% 45.5% 54.5%Christiansburg 45.4% 15.4% 80.6% 19.4%Source:0020130American0Community0Survey05(Year0Estimate

Family Non(Family

Table 4. Household Types, 2013

Table 5 displays the median family and non-family incomes for all reported jurisdictions in the MSA. As shown in Table 5, Husband-Wife family dynamics had the highest median income in 2013. Males typically seemed to do better when they lived alone in a non-family household, where as females seemed to do significantly better living with others in a non-family home. In family homes, when the wife was not present, and it was just the husband, that situation had a better median income in most cases according to this data.

       

Husband(WifeWife-not-Present

Husband-not-Present Live-Alone

Live-with-Others Live-Alone

Live-with-Others

B/C/R-MSA $74,003 $38,399 $25,978 $29,640 $21,987 $18,717 $29,789Giles-Co. $65,919 $42,760 $32,826 $24,047 $35,395 $17,411 $38,929Montgomery-Co. $76,778 $48,470 $24,571 $30,370 $22,337 $21,650 $21,556Pulaski-Co. $62,228 $34,038 $27,385 $29,572 $21,637 $19,203 $38,021Radford-City $73,255 $31,198 $20,385 $17,066 $21,250 $15,688 $18,868Blacksburg $99,173 $18,105 $29,423 $29,707 $16,241 $18,231 $17,205Christiansburg $74,750 $53,354 $20,081 $36,238 $64,423 $26,589 $50,000Source:--2013-American-Community-Survey-5(Year-Estimate

Table 5. Median Incomes, 2013Family Non(Family,-Male Non(Family,-Female

Table 6 provides unemployment and poverty rates for the total of all ages and for selected age groups. As shown in Chart 1, the coefficient of determination is .05, which means the two variables do not have a strong correlation at all, or a strong linear relationship. This means that 5% of the variance in one variable can be predicted from the other. In other words, the correlation between the unemployment rates and poverty rates are random and nonlinear.

Unemployment*Rate Poverty*Rate

B/C/R*MSA 4% 22%Giles*Co. 4% 13%Montgomery*Co. 3% 22%Pulaski*Co. 5% 13%Radford*City 4% 31%Blacksburg 4% 35%Christiansburg 2% 13%Source:**2013*American*Community*Survey*5JYear*Estimate

Table 6. Unemployment and Poverty, 2013

Chart 1. Shows linear relationship between poverty rate and unemployment rates throughout the MSA.